Listen to that voice in your head and get the Xbox One

If I had a wife or girlfriend, she would have become an Xbox One widow two weekends ago when I hooked it up to the TV.

Fortunately (some of my friends might disagree with that), I wasn’t bound to the ball and chain, so I had the freedom and time to indulge in Microsoft’s next-gen console.

But even though I spent nearly 18 hours (not continuous, that’s seriously unhealthy) with two Xbox One games, Dead Rising 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome, it was the Xbox One’s user experience that made me really, really want one.

One word: Kinect. This is the most powerful tool that Microsoft has that appealed to me. It understands me, and not in a creepy, Spike Jonze's Her way. Even when I mumble or slur in my thick Singaporean accent, it obeys my voice command.

Oh, did I forget to mention how I was screaming in my room, yelling for zombies to gather around me so that I can smash them to a pile of bloody mess with the Electric Crusher? Or shouting for my legion to fire a volley of arrows?

Only, I forgot it was late at night, and I must have woken up the whole neighbourhood with my excited shouts.

But why bother with voice command? It didn’t work out so well for Siri or Google Now. Plus, it’s so much easier (and less embarrassing) to touch your mobile devices instead of talking to them.

Because no one judged me when I kept talking to the console. Okay, maybe my neighbours did. But unlike Siri, you won’t be doing this on the street and attracting weird stares from strangers.

Also, have you tried to navigate the console's user interface with just a controller? Without a touchscreen, imagine how many clicks you have to make on the analog stick just to type a letter or launch a game.

The magic of Kinect's voice control is that I didn’t even have to lift a finger to return to the home screen. “Xbox, go home”. Three simple words, yet so powerful that I didn’t have to press the home button. “Xbox, go to Dead Rising 3”. Such an easy way to start my zombie killing spree with crazy weapon combos.

Right now, in-game voice commands are still very basic. Making some slight noises to attract zombies or yelling commands at your soldiers are just the tip of the iceberg.

The beauty of Kinect is there are so many things you can do with it. Last year, when I saw a preview of the Xbox One exclusive title, D4, it got me hooked with how well the game integrates voice and gesture command with Kinect. Talking to the console to choose a conversation option might make you look like a raving lunatic, but it immerses you deeply into the game.

Plus, by the time the Xbox One is available in September, most of the blockbuster games will be launched. And I'll turn into a weekend hermit.

I’m going to buy the Xbox One, and you should too. Simply because it lets us sit on our lazy ass, say “Xbox, turn off” and feel like an almighty being.